About Me

Hello! My name is Arnold D. Vargas, I am a graduate student at Universidad Ana G. Mendez and an active member of Mercado's Lab. For as long as I can remember, I've had a deep passion for the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems, ecological health, reforestation and restoration, and urban ecology. My goal is to raise awareness, and help integrate communities with local ecology and conservation efforts through work and research. I am also an avid hiker, foodie, and nature enthusiast.

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Before exploring my passions in ecology and conservation, I pursued a bachelor's degree in Veterinary Technology and have attained more than 4+ years of volunteer and professional experience in small and large domesticated animals with the goal of working with wildlife. In this chapter of my life I am looking for and looking forward to opportunities that will allow me to explore and broaden my scope in the aforementioned topics that fall under the large umbrella that is Ecology.

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As of late 2022-2023 I've gotten involved with wetland ecology, doing my master's research in Caño Tiburones, Puerto Rico. Most recently, I participated in ESA 2023 via poster presentation of the preliminary results of my current investigation (See "Projects" tab for more information).